The currently used applications don't provide any treatment combining the effect of time-varying magnetic field treatment and conventional treatment method, e.g. treatment by thermal treatment and/or mechanical treatment. The currently used thermal treatment includes many adverse events such as non-homogenous temperature distribution, panniculitis, insufficient blood and/or lymph flow during and/or after the treatment. Additionally several adverse event such as panniculitis may occur after the treatment. Further the treatment may be painful so that a topical anesthetic is recommended.
Magnet therapy uses the influence of magnetic flux on biological tissue. Electric current is induced in the tissue due to voltage change which causes a polarization of the cell membrane. A fundamental phenomenon of electric current in biological tissue is a transfer of neural excitation or muscle contraction. The intensity of the effect is dependent on the magnetic flux density, repetition rate of the pulses, impulse time duration or envelope of the stimulation signal. One possible application of magnetic treatment is treatment of urogenital diseases, e.g. incontinence or pain in the pelvic area.
Presently magnet treatment is widely applied for treatment of urinary incontinence. The currently used treatment devices are in the form of chair with an integrated coil beneath the seating portion. The coil is fixed within the treatment device and its position is static. A magnetic field generated by the coil is intensified and/or focused by using of magnetic core elements of various shapes, e.g. U-shaped or J-shape type core elements.
The coil is integrally fixed in the seating portion of the chair. A plurality of the J-shape magnetic core elements are surrounded by the coil generating a pulsed magnetic field. The end portions of the J-shape magnetic core elements are within proximity of patient's anus and urethra and/or genital area, e.g. vagina. The magnetic flux is delivered to the patient by the magnetic core elements. Two or four magnetic core elements are most frequently used. The treatment chair also may consist of at least one U-shape magnetic core element with at least one coil wound around the end portions of the magnetic core element. The magnetic field stimulates muscles of pelvic floor via stimulation of pudendal nerves.
The patient sits on the seating portion ergonomically formed to be comfortable for the patient. The chair also includes armrests and backrest for improving patient's comfort. The patient is relaxed in the chair.
The mutual orientation of rotating plates may also be manually adjustable via thumbscrews to fit the coils to the patient region of urethra opening and clitoris. The orientation of the coils is adjusted prior to treatment to stimulate mainly pudendal nerves.